Rising Heroes
by Kaiser Ein
Summary: Being a hero had been his dream for as far as he can remember. However, unfortunate circumstances had led him to be devoid of most emotions, becoming a husk of who he once was. The path of a hero abandoned, Haruto Yamamoto spent his days feeling nothing and wanting nothing. A chance encounter with a certain cinnamon bun might just change that. Fem!Izuku! OCx? (Discontinued)


**_CHAPTER 1: HERO'S ORIGINS_**

_I want to become a hero._

_Those were words spoken by multiple children as they watched superheroes on television, a dream shared by many in their childhood until they realize it wasn't possible._

_Or it used to be._

_It all started in Qingqing City, China. A glowing baby was born in a hospital. Ever since then, powers began showing up all over the globe, and time passed with no true idea of how or why._

_Eventually, paranormal became normal, and dreams became reality._

_With 80% of the world's population having a special trait, a Quirk, society became a superhuman society. In this type of reality, that childish wish that everyone eventually forgets upon growth, came into light._

_Heroes became a reality in this chaotic world._

_**R – I – S – I – N – G **__**† **__**H – E – R – O – E – S**_

A young, four year old boy was slowly but surely excreting a purple, flame-lime energy as it surrounded his body, before it began to recede and gather at his hands. His amber eyes narrowed in determination, while his spiky black hair swayed slightly in the gale that picked up as he did this. With a squeaky yell, he pulled both arms back before thrusting them forward, releasing a geyser of energy from each hand that struck a tree in its center. Its trunk creaked a bit before it snapped and the upper part fell with a loud thud.

"I-I did it!" The boy cheered, looking behind him to see an older male standing by, looking on with a proud smile, "I did it, Daddy!"

"Good work, Haruto," His father praised, moving to place a hand on his head to ruffle his hair. The man was rugged, yet held a charismatic visage to those who would see him, with him bearing a muscular frame. His hair was the same color as his son's, with his eyes being an eerie crimson compared to him. He wore his hero costume, consisting of a black, full body spandex, and two arm braces from his arms until the middle of his upper arm. A utility belt was strapped around his belt, with two pouches to hold some tools he'd use whenever necessary. Two samurai-like pauldrons covered his shoulders, with a chest plate connected to his suit, all in metallic silver, "Keep this up, and someday, you'll b an even better hero than me."

"Even better than you, Daddy?" The child, Haruto, hummed, unconvinced. Yet his eyes sparkled in excitement, "B-But aren't you the number two hero? I-I can't beat you yet!"

"Oh son, do you doubt your old man's words?" The man smirked, placing both hands on his hips in a classic hero pose, "With hard work and perseverance, you can become the strongest hero! Even more so than I, or even All Might!"

"U-Uncle Toshi? I-I could be a stronger hero than Uncle Toshi!?" The boy's excitement could not be clearer to his father, as he began jumping on the spot, "T-That's so cool! Uncle Toshi is like, the best hero ever! I wanna be just like him when I grow up, Daddy!"

The man felt a like an arrow pierced his heart at his son's proclamation, feeling as if his pride as a father fell as irritation replaced it. Not at his son, no. Rather, it is directed towards a certain, always smiling annoyingly, far more popular, and all around stronger, hero with two antenna-like strands of hair sticking up. _'Damn you Toshinori! How dare you steal my son's admiration from me!?'_

"Daddy…" His son's voice snapped him back to reality, looking down to see him with a bright smile, "Someday, I wanna be a hero, too! That's why, please come back early from your mission, so you can train me again, okay?"

Yosuke Yamamoto, aka, the number two Pro Hero, Morningstar – **The Sun Hero**, stared at his son with contemplation, before breaking into a huge grin as he picked him up, the boy laughing all the while. "Son," He began, "Someday, I know for a fact that you will become one of the greatest heroes there ever was. I know that you will be one of those who will usher in a new era of peace. Until then, I will do everything I can to prepare you for it."

"Master, Young Master. Lady Miyako has asked that you two go to the dining hall," A maid called out, suddenly appearing in front of the hero and his son, "Lunch is to be served any minute now."

The two looked at each other and smiled, before walking with the maid back home. The area then showed itself to be a large front yard with a fountain in the center of a circular driveway, with plants framing it. Some trees surrounded the rest of the area with grass walkways. Standing in the center of such a place was a huge mansion, past the driveway is a huge gate.

_I wish that days such as those could've lasted forever, but I guess…_

* * *

_**(Soumei Junior High School)**_

_It just wasn't meant to be…_

"_I'm sorry… We have tried everything we could to stabilize his condition, and fortunately, we were able to mitigate it." A doctor gravely spoke, looking at the mother and child in front of him, while behind him, through a glass window, was the body of Yosuke Yamamoto, connected to several machines and life support. An equally injured, but awake All Might was staring in agony at his friend's state. "As it stands, we do not know when exactly he will wake up. It may be tomorrow, the day after, a week from now. Even a few years from isn't out of the realm of possibility."_

It's been five years since that day. That day at the hospital served as a turning point for him.

_At school, a stiff-looking young boy, wearing square-rimmed glasses was trying to make his friend smile after the news on his father was released to the public. His actions bore no fruit, as he just continued staring out the window, seeing multiple pro heroes go after a destructive villain, ignoring another villain stealing from a small convenience store._

It was that day that he was slowly opening his eyes to the truth of society.

_He was standing next to his friend, a pretty girl with long black hair tied into a ponytail that flared like a bladed fan behind her. Both of them were wearing formal clothes. The girl tried to get him to talk like he used to, but failed as he kept his attention to an upper felon talking about having pro heroes under them to serve their need thanks to helping in their pay. The way they talked made him clench his hands, his face becoming emotionless the more he hears, worrying his friend for his wellbeing._

A spiky haired teen walked dazedly through the halls of the private school, Soumei Junior High School, while having those thoughts in his head. Haruto Yamamoto glances at his watch, watching with rapidly fading attention as the clock ticked, signalling he only had five minutes left before classes started. Compared to when he was a boy, he had consequently filled out more, having a now lean yet muscular frame hidden away in his school's uniform, while his general features resembled his father even more, a fact mention several times by his mother and uncle. The uniform consisted of a dark blue blazer with similar colored pants, as well as a white, long-sleeved undershirt and black tie with black loafers.

He hated it.

Spotting his classroom, he entered without a care, ignoring the various stares he received as well as the mutterings going on around him. Lazily throwing his bag on his desk nearest to the window at the back, he sat and stared outside, placing one fist at his cheek and resting his elbow at his desk. As he stared out, his eyes lacked his excitement from childhood, and now only contained a hollow chill.

"Haruto!" A loud yell forced him to glance away, looking with dead eyes towards another male with dark blue hair wearing the same uniform he was. Square rimmed glasses framed his eyes, while his arms were waving robotically in a karate-chop fashion. "You were almost late coming to class, again! If you keep doing this, then Yamamoto-san will begin to worry about you again, you know!?"

"So what if I am, Tenya?" Even his voice sounded hollow and monotone, causing Tenya Iida, the teen before him, to flinch a bit, "Officially, today is the last day of school, with us having taken our last exams yesterday. Seeing as this farce of a day is nothing more than a way for them to brag about who has the highest score, I see no reason to try and make it early like you clearly do. Besides, I still have five minutes, don't I?"

"Be that as it may, you should still—" He was cut off by the door opening, revealing their teacher walking in with a stack of papers. Having no choice but to stop for now, he went back to his seat, hearing the other teen scoff before resuming his gazing outside. Tenya glanced at him sadly. _'Did what happen to Morningstar still affect you, Haruto? It's been five years since then, and I can barely recognize you now. As your childhood friend, I'm sorry that I can't do more for you…'_

Their teacher then began handing out their papers, expressing disappointment to some, and pride to others. Tenya himself had gotten second overall in his class, getting congratulatory remarks from his peers, to which he responded in kind. However, glancing at his friend once more…

All he saw was an emotionless face.

Even after being given praises and cheers for getting another perfect score by their teacher, Haruto still held his disinterested look. None of these mattered to him. No, to be exact, nothing mattered to him nowadays. So much so that not even his mother could change his views. Ever since the incident five years ago…

Haruto Yamamoto had simply turned into a husk of who he once was.

_**R – I – S – I – N – G **__**† **__**H – E – R – O – E – S**_

_**(Time Skip)**_

Haruto didn't immediately return home after school let up, even going as far as to avoid his ride home as he took to walking to Musutafu City alone. Not even Tenya noticed him moving away, busy as he was with talking with his family, whom had come pick him up today.

**Vrrrrrr~! Vrrrrrr~!**

He ignored his ringing phone, no doubt knowing who the caller most likely is. _'Right, Mom was supposed to be the one who picked me up today… Well, whatever. Not like Musutafu is far from home anyway.'_

Leaving behind his thoughts, he passed through a tunnel, closing his eyes. Unaware of his surroundings, he didn't notice someone else walking in front of him.

**Thud**

_**(Line break here)**_

Izumi Midoriya was slumped as she made her way home, her eyes locked onto the ground. Her messy mop of green hair, a color matched by her round eyes, was shoulder-length with the exception of a clump of short bangs hanging above her forehead, and was styled in a half-up-half-down bun, while wearing her school uniform that consisted of a black blazer over a plain white shirt, while wearing a similarly colored skirt and white stockings with a pair of red sneakers for shoes, all of which did nothing to hide her generous figure. Strapped on her back was a yellow backpack, while held in her hands was a slightly burnt and wet notebook.

'_Damn it Kacchan… You don't just tell someone to die like that! What if I actually went with it, you idiot!'_ She fumed, but let out a self-depreciating sigh.

Just an hour earlier, her childhood friend/turned bully, Katsuki Bakugo, confronted her about her decision to try out at U.A. High School, the top hero school, which housed several high ranking heroes, like her idol, All Might. After classes, Katsuki had burned her notebook, threw it to where it landed in the fish pond, and then basically told her to jump off of a building and die and hope for a Quirk in her next life.

All because she was, in everyone's words, a worthless, Quirkless loser.

Growing up in such a society where paranormal was normal, being Quirkless was a stigma of achieving almost nothing in life. Having a Quirk could be said to be something that is needed in order to thrive in the world today. Unfortunately, she ended up as one of those people all due to having a double jointed pinky toe. Her dream of becoming a hero was shot down before she could even truly begin, and her innocent view of the world shattered at the tender age of four.

But she refused to give up.

'_I-I can't just give up on my dream! Being a hero has always been my dream!' _She internally screamed, her eyes narrowing in determination, so much so she didn't hear the footsteps ahead of her. _'I won't give up, just like All Might! Yeah! I'll face it on with a smile and—'_

**Thud**

Dropping her notebook upon impacting a somewhat hard surface, Izumi flinched back and looked up to apologize to whoever it was she bumped into…

… Only to gaze upon amber eyes that looked as if they were half dead to the world.

'_W-What…?'_

"…" The teen in front of her grunted in response, looking down beside her feet to see her dropped notebook discarded on the ground. Picking it up, he handed it to her and began walking away, all without saying a word.

'_What kind of experience did he go through to get eyes like that…?'_

"… Make sure to look where you're going next time." The teen, whom she now realizes is her age, finally spoke, glancing at her with his blank eyes. "You can never be too careful with whom you bump into, after all."

His piece said, he continued to walk away.

"O-Oh! U-Um, thank you!" Despite that, she still bowed anyway, before standing back up and looking at his retreating figure with interest. "Ah wait, I have to go home soon!"

With that said, she walked towards the tunnel, remembering what her previous trail of thought, _'I'll face any challenge with a smile! So that guys like that guy don't have eyes like that anymore! Just like All Might!' _"Yeah, just like All Might! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She laughed, thinking to how her idol grinned and laughed to show the world that he was courageous enough to fight against any odds, to win through any fight!

"Well, it's sudden, but you'll have to do!" She was cut short as sludge suddenly erupted from the manhole in the tunnel, before it rapidly began to coat her in it. Two eyes and disfigured mouth grinned at her now scared form. "Don't try to fight it kid, it'll be over in a minute! Then, you won't feel anything at all!"

'_A-A villain!? H-Here!?' _Izumi panicked, feeling it beginning to enter her mouth, even as she tried to struggle against it. It was no use, as she couldn't get a firm grasp on its liquidized body. _'A-Am I… Going to d-d-die here…!?'_

"You're a real hero to me, kid. So just give up and become my flesh-bag!" The sludge villain cackled, hastening the process to take over her body.

But…

"Wave Chains."

A purple, flame-like energy whip suddenly lashed out, going through the villain's body and wrapping itself around the girl's torso. With a pull, Izumi erupted out from it, breathing heavily as she landed in the arms of…

'_I-It's him…' _Her eyes weakly opened, spotting the same, black haired boy she had bumped in to. But there was a difference in his eyes.

They were still blank, but now they were set in a fierce glare.

"For a lowlife like you to appear here of all places…" He spoke, his voice still set in monotone. However, his hands were being outlined in the same energy that grabbed the girl, who had passed out due to shock of almost dying, now laid on the ground with her back to a wall. "Well, whatever. It'll be over soon anyway."

"That Quirk… Looks really powerful, brat!" The villain snarled in maddened glee, having burn marks where the boy's Quirk penetrated it and instead prepared to jump the boy. As it leaped, it screamed, "Since you took my original target and look far more powerful, why don't I take over you instead!? With your powerful Quirk, I'll get back at All Might for sure!"

Haruto said nothing, merely thrusting both hands forward as two purple beams erupted from them, striking the villain in the center. It flinched as its body began to bubble, before reorganizing itself to land at the side, growling as it tried to take another sneak attack at the boy. Looking at where he was, it was shocked to see no one there except the unconscious body of the girl.

Looking around for him, it was about to conclude that he ran away, only to howl in pan as a fist punched its face. Haruto was poised in a right hook, his hand covered in the strange energy, before he took on a classic boxing stance. The sludge villain was shocked that he was able to hold onto its body, but had no time to ponder as he went on the offensive, releasing jab after jab, forcing it back every time.

He then clenched his fist and jumped back, entering into a sprinting position before applying his Quirk on his feet. Kicking himself off, he shot towards the sludge villain like a bullet, thrusting his clenched fist in a haymaker, muttering "Violet Impact." Upon impact, the villain's body couldn't handle the force of the punch, forcing its body to explode and scatter, knocking him out.

Sighing, he turned off his Quirk and glanced at the scattered sludge in front of him, seeing the villain's eyes in one puddle with two X's for pupils, signalling that it was over. However, he now had clean up duty to do, with nothing to store it up to hand over to the police. With that said, he turned towards the unconscious girl, moving to try and wake her and ask if there was anything she owned that could be used to store the sludge villain for the time being.

The rushing figure stopped him his tracks, however.

"**Don't worry, citizen! Why!? For I am—"**

"Stop messing around, Uncle Yagi," Haruto cut the figure off, which was revealed to be an extremely buff man who was completely ripped, stretching his white shirt to the extremes, while wearing beige cargo pants. His eyes were sunken, making it hard to see as it looked hollow and shadowed out, with an ever present smile on his face. His hair was blonde, with two strands sticking out like two antennas. "Besides, you're already late. I just finished up, and now just need a way to store it before it wakes up."

His words stopped the man in his tracks, before a puff of smoke erupted and the buff man turned into a skeletal man. The clothes didn't shrink with him, making it look baggy on his now extremely skinny frame. His eyes, while still sunken, at least showed his eyes, which were an electric blue in color, with an angular face and his two strands that stuck out were now framing his face. This man is known as Toshinori Yagi, or as he is known in his buff form…

All Might, the number one hero and the one people call as the Symbol of Peace.

Sadly, right now, he was coughing out blood.

"**Cough!** Haruto? Why are you here?" He wiped his mouth of the blood, questioning the teen before him. "I thought Miyako picked you today? What are you doing in Musutafu?"

"I should be asking you that, Uncle." There was no bite in his words, but the hollow way he said it made Toshinori flinch every time he hears it. "Your agency is stationed in Tokyo, so seeing you here in Musutafu comes as a bigger surprise for me."

"Well, um…"

"Regardless," Haruto cut him off again, glancing at the slowly waking girl. "Perhaps you should return to your muscle form? Green-san over here is waking up soon. The sludge villain won't take long to wake up either, so you should start rounding him up. By the way, he leapt at me first, so this was all in self-defense."

Thinking he has nothing else to say, he began walking away, ignoring Toshinori staring at him sadly.

'_You act like you don't care, but the fact remains that you saved someone despite your current, apathetic self…' _Toshinori let grin out as smoke slowly began to steam out of him, beginning to transform him again into his buff form. _'No matter what you say, kid, you still have the makings of a hero.'_

_**R – I – S – I – N – G **__**† **__**H – E – R – O – E – S**_

"**Hey! Hey, kid!"**

Izumi groaned as she felt someone slapping her over and over, before slowly opening her eyes, seeing the silhouette of…

Is that All Might!?

"A-A-All Might!?" She suddenly squealed, sitting straight and looking in awe as her idol rose up to his full height, laughing a bit. _'Q-Quick! I have to get his signature! Notebook… Notebook…' _Finding her slightly burnt notebook, she squealed some more when she saw two pages signed with All Might's name, _'He already signed it!' _"T-Thank you for this! This will be a family heirloom! It'll be passed down for generations to come!"

"**There's no need for thanks, young lady!"** All Might laughed, showing her a bottle with the sludge villain inside, still knocked out. **"Sadly, I was late to the fray in as this villain slipped away from my grasp through the sewage system! I had meant to track him down, but by the time I arrived, another had already taken care of it."**

"A-Another… Oh, right!" She gasped, remembering seeing the boy she bumped into being the one who saved her. _'But then, he's my age right? Doesn't that mean he illegally used his Quirk to save me? Oh no!'_ "That's right! A-All Might! T-there w-was this b-boy, you see, a-and he u-used his Quirk… T-To save me! H-He d-didn't h-have to u-use it i-if it w-wasn't for m-me…"

If it was possible, his always present smile grew bigger. **"Young lady, worry not! That young lad won't be getting into trouble, I assure you! In fact, he was the one who apprehended the villain I was after before it slipped into the sewers! It was all in the name of self-defense, so no punishment shall be implemented!"** _'Though I fear what would happen should Miyako hear of this…'_

"I-I see… I'm glad." Izumi sighed in relief, happy she didn't inconvenience the one who saved her. But looking around, she didn't spot her savior at all. "U-Um, w-where i-is he? I-I w-wanted to t-thank h-him…"

"**Sadly, the young lad already walked off! Which reminds me…"** All Might showed her he bottle again before shoving it into his pants, flexing as he prepared to take a huge leap out of there. **"I must surrender this villain to the police, post haste! Stay safe, young lady!"**

Izumi's eyes widened, remembering her question to her own mother from so many years ago…

"_C-Can I still be a hero…?"_

"_I'm sorry Izumi!"_

'_I… I need to know…!' _Izumi's body moved without her knowing it, towards the body of the leaving All Might. _'I need to know if I can do it! So please…!'_

**Burst**

"**Hmm?"** All Might hummed, feeling a strange weight on his leg as he leapt, somewhat floating through the air towards the police station. Looking down, he almost had a heart attack seeing the young girl holding tightly onto his leg, her hair and mouth being blown back by the wind. **"Young lady, I love my fans dearly but this is going too far! Please let go before you hurt yourself!"**

"I kenth ow elz ish fashh! (I can't or else I'll fall!)" She tried to convey. All Might immediately understood, sweat-dropping as he looked for the nearest building to drop her off at safely, but coughed a bit of blood.

'_No, my time limit is at its end…!'_

_**R – I – S – I – N – G **__**† **__**H – E – R – O – E – S**_

"Don't you think you were too harsh on Deku, Bakugo?" A male teen questioned, looking towards the one he called as Bakugo.

Katsuki Bakugo snorted, glaring at one of her lackeys with her crimson eyes. Her spiky blonde hair was tied in a bladed ponytail that reached until her chest, wearing the same female uniform as Izumi was, with exception of her shoes being brown loafers instead. Her bust was generous, with flared hips.

"Losers will always be losers, and that fucking Deku is the worst loser there is." She grunted out, kicking a bottle with a strange liquid inside, snapping it open. "Someone who's Quirkless should know their fucking place in the world."

"Well, with what you did earlier, she'll probably stop soon, ku ku ku…" Another of her lackeys laughed lecherously, moving his elongated fingers to grab a cigar. "Still, despite the fact she's just a useless Deku, I gotta admit that she's got one hell of a smoking body. Wonder if she'd lay with me if I told her I can make her a hero? Ku ku ku."

"Dude, that's gross." Lackey number one mumbled, though was slightly flushed at the thought himself. Something then caught his eye, forcing him to freeze in fright.

"Oi! What did I say about smoking!?" Katsuki barked, pissed at the smoking teen. She bared her teeth at him, not noticing them starting to panic. Letting out a small explosion to threaten him, she yelled, "If I get caught because of your fucking smokes, they'll never let me in to U.A.! A hero has to have a clean record, for fuck's sake."

"B-B-Behind you…!" The one smoking got out, dropping his cigar in fear.

Feeling a looming presence behind her, she looked back, only to see the sludge villain grinning eerily at her.

"That brat from earlier had a powerful Quirk, but yours can be a replacement!" It cackled, surging forward as Katsuki's two lackeys yelled and ran away, leaving the girl to fend for herself. "Be glad, girl! You'll be my new flesh-bag! You'll even help me kill All Might and that damned brat, too! KYAHAHAHAHAHA!"

**BOOM**

_**R – I – S – I – N – G **__**† **__**H – E – R – O – E – S**_

'_I wonder… Why did my body move like that?'_

Haruto's mind was in disarray, despite his face still being emotionless. His thoughts kept returning to when he saved that girl from doom. It was both illogical and, according to the law, quite illegal in account of his Quirk's usage, despite it being in self-defense. But more than that…

'_Why did I act like a hero…? Why did I act like the heroes in their stories?'_

It perplexed him to no end.

The path of a hero. It was once a path that he, himself, wanted to follow, partly due to his admiration to his uncle, mother and… His father. However, a few years ago, he…

'_Ever since that incident five years ago, things completely changed.'_

Not many know of his uncle's secret, especially the true secrets about his Quirk. At the same time, none knew how close the world was in losing the Symbol of Peace. Now, it would be more accurate to say that they do not know of All Might's deteriorating state. Soon enough, the number one hero will have to retire, and at his current rate, it will be soon.

But he wasn't the only casualty. His father, the former number two hero before Endeavor, had been taken out of commission, and now continuously lay in a hospital in a comatose state. Seeing that sight, the sight of his father, whom he looked up to and always thought of as strong, made him snap. It wasn't spontaneous, but gradually, his view on heroism changed.

His father's state was the one that sparked it, but soon, he saw that most heroes do things for fame, rather than the act of helping others. The government did nothing to mitigate it, for they were the ones who made the law that heroes will get paid depending on how well they do. Now, heroism, which was once about being chivalrous, noble, and self-sacrificial, had become a way to show off and feed their arrogance and ego.

So can anyone blame him for becoming who he was now? An apathetic husk of the once cheerful child?

"Still, seeing that girl in distress just made me…act." He muttered out, walking back home while nearing the shopping district. No doubt his mother will be worried sick once he gets back, and preps himself for a scolding. He came to a sudden stop, realizing something. "Ah, maybe I should—"

**BOOM**

"Oi, Oi! Why isn't anyone doing anything!?"

"What's going on?"

"It's a villain! It's got a student as hostage!"

"What are the heroes even doing? Shouldn't they be putting a stop to this already?"

"They can't, so they're waiting for a hero with a compatible Quirk to come."

"Hey, isn't that the villain All Might was chasing earlier?"

"No way! All Might was here!?"

"Where is he then? He couldn't have lost, could he?"

"Hell no. This is All Might we're talking about!"

"Then why don't they bring him out already!? I got a meeting in a few minutes and I really need to get going!"

As close as he was now to the shopping district, he can clearly hear the crowd go into an uproar and slight panic. He debated whether or not he should look into what was happening. _'Wait… Uncle Yagi was chasing this particular villain earlier? But that could only be the Sludge Villain I encountered and apprehended. If that's the case, how did it escape?'_ Looking around the crowd, his eyes spotted the skeletal form of his uncle, looking down in self-loathing as the people called for All Might to step in. Knowing exactly why he was like that, he could only shake his head.

'_His time limit is over? Bad luck then. Another of these so called heroes can handle it.' _His thoughts were cold. Turning to walk away, he ignored the shouts about the student held captive and went to leave. _'I have no obligation to help, especially since I gave up on that path. It will all be over soon anyway.'_

"_But is that really what you want?"_

'_What else can I do?' _He was arguing with himself, he knew it. He tried hard to silence the small part of him that wanted to help. Not again.

"Hey! That kid won't last much longer!"

"Death Arms! Kamui Woods! Anyone!?"

"She's going to die at this rate!"

"_Can't you hear it? It's resonating within you."_

'_Shut up… I… I don't need to help them.' _His hands were clenching and unclenching, uncharacteristically gritting his teeth. _'It's not my…responsibility…'_

"_Don't ever forget it, son." His father told him, holding the eight year old Haruto as he sat on his lap, smiling down on him. "One of the things that make a hero isn't their strength, nor is it their popularity. Neither is it their knowledge. Not even their Quirk is as important. To be a true her, one must have that one, defining trait. And that is…"_

"KACCHAN!"

"Hey! Stop right there!"

Haruto's eyes widened as that memory played on in his mind, quickly looking back just in time to see a familiar mop of green hair running as fast as she can towards danger, a worried, panicked, and even fearful look on her face. He started walking towards the crowd, ignoring his uncle's shocked look at him being there as he weaved his way through the various bodies that blocked his view. The moment he neared the front, he spotted her, throwing her bag and hitting one of its eyes. It flinched, and she began digging her way to save the captive student, who was wearing the same uniform she was. However, the sludge villain regained its focus, preparing to slam its hands on the girl.

"_The ability to put saving someone over anything else." Haruto looked up at him in awe, wondering what it was he meant. His father just grinned and rubbed his head._

"What the—! Another one!? Stop!"

He grit his teeth as he felt himself be propelled forward by his Quirk, his usual blank eyes, for the first time in years, had a little bit of light returning to them. He didn't know what he was doing, nor did he know why he was doing it. There was only one thing he figured out.

His body moved with him knowing why once again.

* * *

Is she seriously doing this? Even after what All Might told her?

"_Do you think I can be hero despite being Quirkless!?"_

"…_No. It is good to have a dream to follow, but make sure it is a realistic dream, one that you can achieve. Being a hero without a Quirk is impossible. A Pro is someone who risks their life on a daily basis. It'll be a lie if I say "You can be a hero despite being powerless." There are many other ways to help people, so why not try joining the police force, for example?"_

Just like that, Izumi Midoriya's dream of becoming a hero was shattered, not only by the people around her, her but by her idol.

That was it. All those years of persevering, hoping against all hope to overcome the odds and rising to become a hero despite her label as a Quirkless loser, amounted to nothing in the end. She realizes this, and was even willing to start looking into other professions for her future.

So then why…?

"Kacchan!" She yelled, trying to get the other girl out by trying to dig her way through the sludge villain's body. One particular try managed to get Katsuki just enough space to breathe.

"Deku!? Why the fuck are you the one here!?" She roared in anger, glaring at her with her crimson eyes. "Get the fuck out of here!"

"Well…" Gathering all her courage, she gave her a shaky grin while tears streamed down her face. "You looked like you needed help!"

In the crowd of civilians, Toshinori's eyes widened as a shiver ran down his spine. Those words resonated within him, almost causing him to change into his muscle form despite the pain it would bring him. But seeing the person who had just rushed in, decided he won't be needed. _'How could I have forgotten the role of a hero!? That girl… Maybe she is the one!'_

"You…"

Their conversation was cut short as the villain regained coherence. "You damned brat!" It yelled, "You're interference is damn annoying! So just explode and die already!" It roared as it raised one of its hands, glowing in the same way Katsuki's would whenever she uses her Quirk, before it brought it down on her.

Izumi closed her eyes in fear and resignation, accepting that she might just die. At the same time, she felt relief, that she at least tried to help her once friend.

"Wave Chain."

Her head shot up at the voice as a purple energy whip wrapped around her torso and pulled her out of the way, avoiding the explosion punch that blew up the concrete she was just standing on. It soon dissipated, landing her in the arms of the same black haired boy from earlier. She blushed and stammered in his arms, noting that his focus remained on the sludge villain.

"Are you okay?" Seeing her nod, Haruto released a small sigh of relief. Gently putting her down, he powered up his Quirk and prepared to fight, blank eyes narrowing at the snarling villain. "I'll give you a choice. Release your hostage, now, or else I'll have to beat you down again."

"You think you can give ME choice, you fucking brat!?" It roared in laughter, igniting its hands with the girl's Quirk. "With this power, not even All Might can face me! What's a brat like you going to do!?"

"This."

Haruto quickly dashed ahead, creating another whip to pull him to the side and avoid an explosion blast. His eyes narrowed further, trying to analyze his opponent. _'So it isn't just a mutation-type Quirk, but one which allows it to take over another and even use their Quirk? No wonder he tried to take over me earlier. But then, how to counter the girl's Quirk?' _Nothing came to mind, stalling for time as he shot off a blast towards one of its hands. He clicked his tongue when it reformed quickly.

"Kacchan's Quirk comes from her sweat!" Izumi yelled, her adrenalin not leaving as she tried to help as best she can. "She produces nitro-glycerine and can make them explode whenever she wants!"

'_An explosive chemical compound from her sweat glands? I see, then the best course of action here is…!' _He pulled himself up just in time to avoid another explosion. Spotting a fire hydrant next to the villain, he took aim and fired off a blast, hitting his intended target.

"HAH! What the hell was that!?" It taunted. "Can't even fucking land a hit now, can you, you little shit!?"

"Actually…" He uncharacteristically let out a small smirk. "I think my aim was spot on."

"Huh? What the fuck are you—"

**BURST**

A geyser of water erupted from the broken hydrant. The villain remained unaffected by it, but taking a quick look at the captured girl's widened eyes made him think that his plan might actually have some merit. Not wasting any time, he rushed forward, one of his fists' slowly gathering purple energy.

"Was that supposed to do anything, punk!? I'm made of liquid! I'm immune to that shit!" It laughed, raising its arms to let out another explosion blast, only to come out with smoke. "WHAT!?"

"I guess you didn't know…" Haruto quipped as he stopped directly in front of it, hand poised to punch, "When a person gets wet by an external source, their sweat glands are hindered in their production of more sweat. Knowing that her Quirk is based on her sweat helped me plan a counter for that. Now…"

"Why don't we end this?" His eyes narrowed as his teeth clenched, letting loose. "You say you can beat All Might? Well, here's a move from him! Solar… SMASH!"

He gave it an uppercut, while at the same time, a torrent of his purple energy was released. The end result was a huge beam of purple light erupted, causing the sludge villain's body to be scattered, releasing the girl who could only look at him in slight awe. However, the beam still continued up, piercing through clouds. Once it died out, everyone was silent as the boy stood there with his fist still raised. However, one by one, the crowd of civilians began cheering. From within them, the skeletal Toshinori let out a huge grin, impressed by the green haired girl's sense of heroism, and his nephew's actions.

'_That girl… Yes, she's the one! I've found my successor!' _He was shaking in excitement, his eyes showing his pride as he stared at Haruto. _'And you, my boy! Have you finally regained your heroism? Miyako will be happy! I sure as hell am!'_

_**R – I – S – I – N – G **__**† **__**H – E – R – O – E – S**_

_After that, the sludge villain's scattered body was collected by the heroes and was then accosted by the police. Meanwhile, that blonde haired girl, Katsuki, was praised by heroes. On the other hand, the other girl, Izumi, was scolded for her rash actions. I, on the other hand…_

"You're Morningstar and Raikou's son, aren't you!? The heir to the Yamamoto family hero agency, Haruto Yamamoto!?"

"Considering you just saved two lives and stopped a villain, can we consider this as you wanting to continue your family's legacy?"

"Seeing your Quirk in action, can we assume that you will be inheriting Morningstar, the former number two's name?"

"Will you be attending U.A. like your parents once did!?"

Once the action had died down, Haruto's heroic spirit died down and his eyes regained their hollowness even as he was questioned by the press on his plans. Considering who his parents are, it was to be expected that he was as well-known as they were. Fortunately, his expression made them feel unease, so some left him alone soon enough. The ones asking right now were the more persistent ones.

"Listen up! What you two did back there was a something only a complete moron would do!"

"You should have left it to the Pros! There was no reason for both of you to rush in there!"

"Never do something like that again, you hear me!? That was completely reckless!"

Izumi could only sit in the seiza position as she was completely chewed out by Pro Heroes, while Katsuki was given praise after praise for his bravery and amazing power output he displayed with his Quirk. She glanced at the boy who saved her twice from the same villain, feeling her cheeks go a rosy red. _'H-His name is H-Haruto Y-Yamamoto…? W-Where did I-I hear that n-name b-before?'_

"Wow, you have an amazing Quirk!"

"After you graduate, why not come work for our company!?"

"With your power, you'll become a great sidekick, I promise you that!"

The teen was barely even paying attention, glancing to her side to see 'Deku' being scolded with a scowl. Then she took a glance towards the stoic Haruto being hounded by reporters, her eyes showing some interest in them. She didn't know why her face felt hot all of a sudden. _'Who the fuck is that guy?'_

_I was hounded by the media. A rather annoying bunch, I admit._

* * *

"I didn't get a chance to thank him again…" Izumi muttered, downcast as she walked back home. She tried to get close to Haruto to thank him for saving her again, but he was hounded by reporters. Plus, getting scolded by heroes made her rethink it.

'_But still, with this, it's okay now.'_

She smiled ruefully, glad that she at least managed to save her once childhood friend. With that, she at least felt what it feels like to be a hero. Now, she won't have any regrets.

"DEKU!" Her thoughts were interrupted as Katsuki ran up to her with her hands on her hips along with a scowling face, looking like a typical delinquent. She stopped in front of her.

"Kacchan…"

"LISTEN UP!" His roar surprised her, making her recoiling in slight fear, "I didn't ask for your help, and you didn't help me, Deku! That guy did! But you know, I could have saved myself! Don't you dare look down on me, you Quirkless! You think I owe you!? Don't fuck with me! You fucking nerd!"

With that said, she about-faced and ran off, yelling "Don't you fucking forget!" as she moves.

"What a strange girl…"

"EEEK!" Izumi jumped and felt her heart almost stop as she turned around saw him just standing there, the same blank look in his eyes. Haruto glanced at her, and she could swear she saw a bit of life come back to them to express concern. It was gone the next second, so she discarded the notion. "I-It's you… U-Um! T-Thank y-you f-for s-saving me t-twice n-now! B-But how d-di you e-escape the p-press?"

"No need. I don't even know why I did any of that." He drawled, back to having no interest in anything once more. "As for the press…"

"**I AM HERE!"**

All Might dashed in while flexing, showing off his bulging muscles.

"As you can see, he helped me escape." His voice was flat, but a tiny hint of amusement was there.

"**AHAHAHA! Escaping is no problem."** He laughed with a two-finger salute before he began flexing. **"Do you know why!? Because I'm All Migh—**Guagh!?"

Blood suddenly began spouting from his mouth as he shrank down to reveal the same skeletal man from earlier, smoke coming from him as Izumi yelled out in fright. Meanwhile, Haruto looked on with a passive expression, his eyes unblinking.

"W-Wait, All Might!" Izumi kept glancing between All Might and Haruto, the teen walking towards the Symbol of Peace, "T-There's someone else here! U-Um, I mean! I-Imposter!?"

"Relax, Young Midoriya," All Might, or as he is now, Toshinori Yagi wiped the blood off of his mouth as the male teen approached him, "Haruto here is one of the few who knows of my secret. Why, you ask? It is because he is my nephew! GACK!?"

"How many years has that been kept secret? Oi, Uncle Yagi." Haruto's voice was monotone, but held a slight edge to it as he basically uppercut his uncle. "Don't spill things like that so easily. Didn't Mom tell you about it?"

"Ugh… Right, I'm terribly sorry. It was my fault. Please forgive me and don't mention this to Miyako. I'm begging you." Even though he was spilling blood from his mouth again, Toshinori could do nothing but shiver in fear when he heard Miyako's name.

It was a strange sight for Izumi, considering that her idol, All Might, the number one hero, and known as the Symbol of Peace, was currently in seiza position in front of a young man her age who still maintained his blank expression despite the situation. If one were to look at them, some would ask who the real child is as Haruto acted like the mature one with All Might looking like a kid being scolded for bad behaviour.

It was a few minutes later that Haruto backed off and let the Pro Hero recompose himself as he coughed into his fist, both ignoring the shocked look on the young woman's face.

'_M-My image of All Might is starting to crack a bit…!'_

"Anyway, Young lady," Toshinori began, the atmosphere suddenly serious, "I came here to thank you, correct myself and give advice. If it wasn't for you, if you didn't tell me your life story, I would've become a phony. I thank you."

"No, it's my fault in the first place!" Izumi refuted, nervous, but continued, "I disturbed your work, and talked big even though I'm only Quirkless…"

"Yes, it was none other than you. A faint-hearted and Quirkless young woman was what moved me." Toshinori's words caused Izumi to look at him in shock. Haruto's expression didn't change, but inside him, he was shocked, having an inkling of where this was going.

'_So he's found the one? The ninth bearer?'_

"Top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Most of their stories have one thing in common," Toshinori clenched his fist in front of him, "Their bodies all moved before they had a chance to think. That was the same for you, wasn't it?"

_For some reason, she began to cry, not out of sadness. Her tears were of joy as she realized what my uncle was talking about._

"_I'm sorry, Izumi!"_

_She told me those were the words her mother told her when she asked if she could still be a hero. She shared with me her pains in keeping her dream going, as people _

"You thought the same way, didn't you?" Toshinori took on a softer town as the young woman fell to her knees and started to cry. His nephew watched on, thinking of what to do.

Her response was to cry harder.

_I could tell, it wasn't what she was looking for. But now, the words she wanted… No, the words she needed to hear—_

"Young Midoriya… You can become a Hero." He finished as the woman continued crying, unable to bear the happiness of hearing those words.

Meanwhile, Haruto took a quick glance towards his uncle, conveying a silent question. Toshinori nodded, making him look at the girl with something akin to interest in his dulled eyes.

* * *

_It was at that moment, that dreams became reality._

_By the way, I should've mentioned this earlier, but this is the story of how I met the one who will become the world's greatest hero._

_The story of the one who saved me from myself._


End file.
